“Government’s claim that there are not enough allopathic doctors in rural areas is not true. Many MBBS graduates are unable to get rural postings simply due to a shortage of posts, not doctors,” said Dr. Baid.
Mumbai: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Sunday convened a state-level meeting with representatives from all 231 of its branches to discuss the ongoing demand by homoeopathy practitioners to be allowed to practice modern medicine.
“All representatives are on the same page and believe that cross-practice or ‘mixopathy’ should not be permitted merely on the basis of a short bridge course,” said IMA state president Dr. Santosh Kadam.
As part of its action plan, the IMA has asked its branch members to collect support letters from local MLAs and MPs. These will be submitted to the government along with a formal representation on September 15 or 16. The association has set a deadline of September 17 for a response.
“If the government either rules in favour of homoeopathy doctors or fails to respond, we will launch a one-day token strike on September 18. During this period, over 52,000 allopathic doctors across the state will withdraw services,” Dr. Kadam announced.
The IMA stressed that its agitation is not against homoeopathy or alternative systems of medicine, but against the “unscientific blending” of disciplines. Patient advocacy groups have expressed concern over possible disruptions in healthcare but have also urged the government to clarify its position to avoid further escalation.
Dr. Deepak Baid of Nulife Hospital, Mumbai, expressed concern and said, “This move goes against the Supreme Court ruling on crosspathy and the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines. It undermines the Central Council of Indian Medicine’s own stance, which believes that this lessens the significance of homeopathic remedies.
He further warned that the proposal would open a “backdoor entry” for homoeopathy practitioners into modern medical practice, allowing them to prescribe allopathic medicines after just a year of pharmacology training. “This will not be in the interest of patients. Also, government’s claim that there are not enough allopathic doctors in rural areas is not true. Many MBBS graduates are unable to get rural postings simply due to a shortage of posts, not doctors,” Dr. Baid added.
 on Sunday convened a state-level meeting with representatives from all 231 of its branches to discuss the ongoing demand by homoeopathy practitioners to be allowed to practice modern medicine.){kind=link}